r. Jayme Walters is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Transforming Communities Institute (TCI) in the Department of Social Work at Utah State University. She was awarded her PhD from the University of Tennessee, College of Social Work. She earned her MSW and a certificate in Non-profit Organizations: Development and Management from the University of Georgia and a BSW from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Dr. Walters also received a certificate in Fundraising Management from Indiana University, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. 

As the director of TCI and being part of Utah’s land-grant university, Walters works to illuminate and address Utah’s social problems, such as homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, and substance misuse, through research, teaching, and service. The overarching focus of Walters’ main line research is understanding and improving the well-being of individuals and families in rural communities who experience social and economic injustices. Most frequently, she aims attention at organizations and grassroots groups in rural counties, their capacity strengths and challenges, and solutions and opportunities for accomplishing their missions. Her research has been published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Journal of Rural Studies, and Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, among others. 

Professionally, Dr. Walters worked in nonprofits for nearly ten years prior to shifting into academia, focusing on administration, fundraising, and program development. Currently, Dr. Walters is a founding board member for the William A. Burnard Warming Center in Logan and serves as the President and Fundraising Chair for the Board of Directors.